Podfather Software Gives Trescal UK Precision Deliveries
Overview
Trescal UK is part of the wider Trescal Group, a global leader in calibration services operating in 30 countries with 5,000 employees and a turnover of €530 million. Trescal UK offers a single-solution calibration service, working with industries including aeronautical, automotive, defence, food and beverages, life sciences, and telecommunications. They provide comprehensive repair and maintenance options, alongside testing levels ranging from certification up to full UKAS accreditation.
Operating its own fleet of vans across England and Scotland, Trescal UK handles around 12,000 items a month. Their mobile operation completes up to 100 deliveries and collections a week, ensuring the reliability of their clients' assets.
100 %
paperless with Podfather
100
deliveries & collections per week
12,000
items a month
Challenge
Prior to implementing Podfather, Trescal UK’s collection and delivery processes were heavily reliant on manual administration and paper-based workflows. The company also found itself dependent on individual driver knowledge to execute routes, exposing their mobile operation to unnecessary inefficiencies and risk.
- They relied heavily on physical paper schedules and job sheets, creating a heavy administrative burden.
- The company was dependent on the individual knowledge and experience of drivers for routing, rather than an optimised system.
- Paper manifests and delivery notes meant a slower quality of service and delayed reporting.
Solution
Trescal UK selected Podfather logistics software to introduce automation and effectively eliminate paper from its UK collection and delivery service. The software deployment included automated planning and optimisation tools to manage routing and scheduling dynamically, reducing reliance on individual driver knowledge.
Alongside routing, the company implemented automated vehicle checks to ensure fleet compliance. Crucially, they rolled out electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD) capture, replacing paper manifests and delivery notes with digital job processing and instant reporting tools that can automatically update both customers and the back office.
Results
The implementation of Podfather has had a major positive impact on Trescal UK's operation, enabling a transition to 100% paperless workflows. Replacing paper manifests with automated schedules and digital proof of delivery notes has significantly reduced their environmental impact, directly supporting the company's ESG objectives.
By employing planning and optimisation tools, Trescal UK is maximising driver efficiency and taking risk out of the mobile operation, allowing drivers to focus on driving and interacting with customers. The ultimate goal of eliminating unnecessary interactions is being achieved; by providing customers with accurate information exactly when and how they want it via the ePOD tools, Trescal UK is already experiencing fewer customer queries and faster invoicing.
Our brand comes from the understanding that the productivity of our clients depends on the reliability of their assets. And, with the selection and use of Podfather to manage our collection and delivery operation, that is something we are now applying to our own processes. Prior to Podfather we relied heavily on paper schedules and job sheets. We were also dependent, to an extent, on the knowledge and experience of our drivers. While we still value the strengths our drivers bring, we know that by employing Podfather's planning and optimisation tools we can maximise driver efficiency whilst still delivering exceptional service. We can also take some of the risk out of the mobile operation and give drivers the tools they need to focus on the task in hand and what they do best – driving and interacting with our customers.
Lee Grint
Head of Logistics, Trescal UK
